Green Living Tips

Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady's LA Home was recently featured in Architectural Digest. Their mansion is beautifully crafted to be comfortable and livable. Gisele, who is a spokesperson for the UN, also gave Green-Living advice in the issue.  Here are our favorite tips from the supermodel: 





Reclaimed Barn table Top 

 1. Using Existing Material/ Reclaimed Wood  

Gisele Bündchen says she was "happy to find that we could use a lot of existing resources."  "In the end, 90 percent of the materials used to construct" the Bündchen and Brady LA home were reclaimed. More and more homeowners are opting for a more environmentally friendly way to construct their home. Using reclaimed material is a great way to do so, it also offers a beautiful and comfortable look.  Homes with children especially benefit from reclaimed wood products because such materials are great on wear and tear. 

We love reclaimed products because of the character and story that the material tells. Reclaimed furniture is also are great conversation starter, such as the wheelbarrow coffee table we recently completed. "The 1890 bowling lane top is always a hit at our parties," says the homeowner. 



2. Make your Home Energy efficient 


Custom Door by K International

 This means taking advantage of natural light and replacing windows and doors when necessary. We find that spending a little bit more to get the curtain with good insulation is a great investment. They keep the heat in during the winter and out during the summer.

The bigger savings are in replacing windows and doors. Doors, especially, over time experience lots of wear and tear. ENERGY STAR estimates a saving of 7-15% in the energy bill just by replacing windows and doors. There's even a tax write off for these type of home improvement projects.



3. LED is a must!
LED lights use at least 75% less energy then  incandescent lighting, they last up to 35-50 times longer, and produce less heat keeping the home cooler.  As the victoria secret model says:"We reduce our energy consumption further by using LED lightening featuring low-voltage, high efficiency" lightening fixtures.  



Balcony Garden


4. Plant a Garden
There is nothing better then eating vegetables and fruits from your own garden. Gisele explains:"Not only do we know where our produce comes from, but our children experience firsthand the connection between the earth and their food." We couldn't agree more with this advice. Nourishing a garden is so simple and extremely rewarding. There is no excuse for apartments dwellers, because growing a garden on the balcony is just as easy and rewarding. 

5. Recycle
This is important, recylcing reduces the amount of trash in the landfills. This is the best way to reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. 


Follow this link for all the Green-living advice from Gisele Bündchen. 
To get more advice on home improvement projects and reclaimed wood ideas, please follow us on Facebook.